Biden calls consultant's quip about Ann Romney 'outrageous'

In an exclusive interview with Ed Schultz, Vice President Joe Biden described Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen's assertion that stay-at-home Ann Romney, the wife of GOP presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney, has "never worked a day in her life" as an "outrageous assertion."

Vice President Biden called a Democratic consultant's assertion that Ann Romney hadn't worked a day in her life "an outrageous assertion" in an interview to air Thursday evening.

Biden joined a chorus of top Democrats -- from first lady Michelle Obama to re-election campaign manager Jim Messina and DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz -- in distancing himself from comments made yesterday by Hilary Rosen.

"My response to that is that’s an outrageous assertion," Biden told MSNBC's Ed Schultz when asked about Rosen's comments.

Rosen said last night on CNN that Ann Romney, the wife of Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, had "never worked a day in her life."

Surrogates for the Romney campaign pounced quickly; New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte called Rosen's remarks "insulting" in a conference call this morning. Moreover, the Romney campaign has sought to link Rosen to Obama, though Rosen has done no work for the re-election campaign or the DNC (though her firm has done some contract work).

Rosen apologized in a statement this afternoon, pleading with the campaigns to "declare peace in this phony war and go back to focus on the substance."

"Look, I fought my whole career, and I’m no hero, whether it’s the violence against women act or equal pay my entire career as a senator and as a vice president, to get to one point where my daughter is able to make whatever choice she wants and no one question it," Biden said. "My daughter happens to have a master’s degree, she’s a social worker, she’s getting married and if my daughter wants to be able to say I’m staying home and raising my kids no one should question it."

Biden was in New Hampshire on Thursday to deliver a campaign speech about the "Buffett Rule," the Obama administration's proposal that the wealthy be required to pay a minimum effective tax rate of 30 percent.